The Brooklyn Nets are a hot NBA topic.

The Brooklyn Nets offseason has been fraught with off-the-court issues, and the media at large is eating it all up. Brooklyn Nets players are attempting to downplay what's going on with the team, yet the media persists - as it should. We will see how much the Brooklyn Nets are affected by what they don't see as a distraction, yet as the Kyrie Irving story gets deeper and deeper, don't for a moment think this is over simply because Kyrie has been ruled out until he is fully vaccinated. What are the talking points heading into the season, and is it all about Kyrie Irving?

#5 Brooklyn Nets' expectations

You would think that the Milwaukee Bucks failed to win the NBA championship. The Brooklyn Nets are considered the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference, and even with the Kyrie Irving drama, that presumption persists. The NBA and its fans have waited for the season to begin after such an unpredictable end to the season in regards to who represented the NBA in the Finals as well as anticipating the firepower of the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden are expected to dominate the NBA this season, and the only teams that have been mentioned as disrupting their quest for the first Brooklyn Nets' NBA championship is the aforementioned Milwaukee Bucks and also LeBron James, who led the Los Angeles Lakers. I'd add the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls to that mix, yet no team in the NBA has as lofty expectations as the Brooklyn Nets and everyone is speaking about it.

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#4 Ben Simmons for Kyrie Irving trade talk

A Kyrie Irving for Ben Simmons trade is intriguing, but that's it

When the fallout happened with Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers and with the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving's status, the natural next conversation in a hot take world was to include the two in a potential trade. Stephen A. Smith, speaking about the trade, said Kevin Durant vetoed it, and subsequently walked back his words when the trade talk between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers was found to have never happened. The interesting thing about Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving is that both will be mentioned expansively as the NBA collective bargaining agreement negotiations speed closer. Trading two enigmatic starts for one another within the same division is not the most intelligent move for either franchise. Irving and Simmons are far too talented and would hurt either team returning to compete against it.

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#3 The Brooklyn Nets welcome LaMarcus Aldridge back

Still playing for the Brooklyn Nets, LaMarcus Aldridge said he felt differently in April when he decided to retire. He's managed his heart condition for years and no longer felt he should play in the NBA after a 12 point performance vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, where his heart raced unnaturally on April 10. After a series of tests, a foray onto the treadmill and getting over the fear of a major organ not working naturally, LaMarcus Aldridge decided to return to the Brooklyn Nets. He had been in contact the entire time with Sean Marks, and despite Marks telling Aldridge he didn't need to return to the NBA because of the seriousness of the condition, after some encapsulated thought, LaMarcus is back.

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#2 Brooklyn Nets' contract status of James Harden and Kyrie Irving

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks was confident this summer that contract extensions for Harden and Irving would get done. He expressed optimism for Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden of wanting to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. They wanted to be in Brooklyn and make it happen. Despite the injuries that kept Harden and Irving from completing a full NBA season and the playoffs, it all seemed apparent that the Brooklyn Nets would get these deals done. James Harden's will get done, yet Kyrie Irving is not expected to be offered an extension because of his covid vaccination stance.

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#1 Kyrie Irving and his vaccination status

Kyrie Irving went on his Instagram Live account to speak directly to NBA admins, fans and media about where he stands on the NBA season and why he chose not to vaccinate. He was rather calm and articulated exactly what he wanted to say in the 20 plus minute clip:

“Nobody should be forced to do anything with their bodies… If you choose to get vaccined, I support you. If you choose to be unvaccinated, I support you. Do what is best for you, but that doesn’t mean going around and start judging people, what they are doing with their lives. I’m going to continue to serve others. I’m going to continue to be me. I’m going to continue to be there for people that need the resources, that need the information or need access to different things.”

Kyrie Irving has become so polarizing he has pushed Ben Simmons to the back of NBA conversations and that the top teams in the Atlantic Division are challenged to fill huge voids left by their superstars is an interesting development considering how the NBA season ended. This was to be the year NBA fans would see if the Philadelphia 76ers could neutralize the Brooklyn Nets and namely the slashing penetration of Kyrie Irving within the Atlantic Division, and that Kyrie will not play changes the entire division and further the Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving is on the lips of every hot take sports set, and writer alike. We'll see how this all plays out, and it will be interesting to see if Kyrie Irving stands his ground, takes financial hits and sits out even with all the Brooklyn Nets expectations.